A few foliage pictures

Here are a few foliage pictures from Thanksgiving.  The weather has been warmer than normal this season, so there was more color on Thanksgiving than usual.

 

 

 

 

 

"A loaf of bread, a cabbage head, and a can of Mulligan stew"

In a book or poem that was read to us as kids, there was a line that included this phrase:  "...a loaf of bread, a cabbage head, and a can of Mulligan stew."  We loved the rhythm of the phrase and it stuck with us.  I can hardly say the phrase "cabbage head" without wanting to add "and a can of Mulligan stew!"  Here, I'm holding a cabbage my older brother grew this fall.

I guess we'd have to round that out with a two-foot long loaf of bread and a number 10 can of Mulligan stew!



 

I can divide!

Whenever I see this sign, which I assume means the seller is willing to divide the land and sell it in smaller parcels, I always want to respond with "Yeah, I can divide AND multiply AND add and subtract!

 

Okay, truth be known, I can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and even do algebra--but GRAPHING is where I DRAW THE LINE.

Keeping it real--kind of

Today was one of those days that I wonder if what I'm doing even makes sense.  I loaded a big pile of weeds into the wheelbarrow.  Should I be proud of all the work that represents or just ashamed I let the weeds get so badly out of hand?  Anyway, here goes.

 

Meanwhile, the pansies are looking quite cheery.  We are in a drought, so I watered them (and added a little more compost).

A few days ago when I went out in the morning to do some of that weeding, I noticed the moon setting and tried to take a picture through my binoculars (like I had done the hawk).  I wasn't really satisfied with the result, but I was quite amused that a bird had crossed the view just as the shutter snapped.  I do like the blue sky and white moon next to the reddish leaves of the neighbor's ornamental pear.

 

I raked a considerable amount of pine straw at my neighbor's house today, and I also sawed off a large portion of the Leyland cypress trunk (roughly 11" diameter, depending on where you measure) with the bow saw.  Let's just call that interesting.  Again, I could be proud of being such a tough cookie or just feel stupid for not letting someone come in with a chainsaw.

And if I ruled the world, pine straw would be one word: pinestraw (as would butterbeans).

 



A drive through the country

Saturday, we had a chance to drive through the country.  The leaf color was peaking in the area we drove through, and I thoroughly enjoyed the view.
Here is a red maple darling son captured at my request.  It was one of many, but this one was convenient to stop for.

 

We stopped in at the church I grew up in for their fall barbecue fundraiser.  You know you're in the country when your choices are chicken, pork, or deer.  Some of the oaks by the church were showing some yellow in the leaves, so I had to get a picture of that.  This is the church where my husband and I were married (a long time ago).

 

It was a nice day.

 

Red-tailed hawk

Yesterday morning, I could see a hawk in the scraggly pine beyond my neighbor's house where the vultures often perch.  From my window, even zoomed in as far as my camera could go, I could only get this.

 

Then I put my camera up to the eyepiece of my binoculars.  That was an interesting experiment.  It's not a crisp shot, but it brings the bird close enough for identification.

 

I did see a crow swoop down toward the hawk.  Later I noticed the hawk was gone and there were a few crows perched in the tree.  By that time the sun was warming things up, and I guess the hawk was soaring on a thermal and looking for prey.

 

Last of the summer roses

I had a chance to stop by my mother's house yesterday afternoon.  I noticed a bloom on her pink rose bush.  I don't know what kind of rose it is, but I don't know of another that has as many petals.  It is one my aunt gave her many years ago.
I also saw a bloom on the red rose.  I made a mental note to cut the two blooms since a killing frost was forecast.  Just as I was leaving, I saw a white bloom on the musk rose (the one I call Grandpa's rose).  I dashed over and cut it off as well.
Meanwhile back at my house, I'm enjoying the last two blooms on the yellow Anthony Meilland rose that I bought for my husband quite a few years ago.
Farewell, roses, till next spring.

Beans, collards, butterfly, Texas mallow

We've had a couple of light frosts, but my butter beans were protected by the limbs on the apple tree.  I thought it was pretty neat to pick butter beans on November 5.  I shelled out a generous 3/4 cup from this little dab right here that darling husband will enjoy for lunch tomorrow.
I also picked a few leaves off the collard plants.  I like to pick a few leaves at the time and eat them while they are young and tender.

 

Meanwhile, the butterflies are enjoying the season's last blooms. I saw a monarch the other day.  As soon as I fetched my camera, it decided to fly higher and higher up into a pine tree.  I was surprised to see it go that high. I took my camera back inside.  When I came back out, I looked up into the pine to see if I could see it.  Nope. Then I looked and saw it was right under my nose.  We played a little cat and mouse. I gave up that day, but I did manage to get a shot the next day of the monarch in the same vicinity.  Not a very good shot--this butterfly was not one to pose for me.

 

The Texas mallow has bloomed very well this year.  The camera picked up the sun shining through the blossom, making it look like it has yellow, but it really doesn't.  For some reason this camera just can't handle the scarlet color of these blooms. These blooms are great for the hummingbirds.

 

We'll probably get another frost tonight.  The beans and the mallow won't like it, but the collards will only be improved by it.